Terrified
by I-Heart-Hatake-Kakashi
Summary: After they return from Tenrou Island, Gazille and Levy have to speak about what happened...


_Faiytail © Hiro Mashima_

_A/N : My second FT story XD I love Gazille/Levy, they're so cute!_

_SPOILER ALERT... if you're an anime-only fan, I tried to keep the spoilers to a minimum but there is a hint of the twist at the end of the S-class exam arc... I tried to keep it as non-spoilery as possible so my friend who is an anime-only fan could read it without being spoiled... So if you know what happens, you'll probably see it, but if you don't, you (hopefully) won't. ENJOY! _

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><p>"So..." a deep, gravely voice called out behind the blue haired script-mage as Levy sat outside the new guild building, reading through a book Jet and Droy had given her that morning.<p>

Those two looked a lot different from how she remembered them, but deep down, the males of Shadow Gear were the same dorky, silly, loving goofballs she'd always known. Time hadn't changed their hearts, even if it had changed the rest of them. "How are you holding up?" the owner of said voice asked, as one iron-dragon slayer sat down next to her on the steps outside the tavern-turned-guild.

"Oh... I'm not too bad," Levy shrugged, smiling softly up at the iron-clad mage as he sat a few steps down from her so that they'd be closer to eye-contact.

A lot of things had happened on the island. Things between them. Things that had been left unspoken but they both knew were there. Neither of them had really talked about it on the boat ride back to Magnolia. There had been a lot of other matters that were more pressing. But it had been a few days since then. All the returning fairies had begun settling into their old lives, or at least trying to piece them back together. There had been a lot left to clean up since their absence. A lot of lost time to make up for.

"Jet and Droy took care of most of my expenses," Levy continued, wanting to keep the conversation as light as possible. She just wasn't ready for what she knew they had to talk about.

It was too much.

Just a few days ago their lives had been considerably altered. The teal-haired bookworm was still trying to understand what had happened. It seemed difficult to even wrap her head around it, but then, that usually was how magic worked. The truth though, was probably much simpler. She was scared. Despite everything they had been through, all that they had grown together, Gazille still scared her.

It wasn't the same as the fear she had felt for him in the beginning though. After the attack from Phantom Lord, Levy had been left utterly terrified of the metal-studded man. Of course no one could blame her, after what he'd done. But he had apologized for that already, and more than made up for it through his actions since joining the guild. It was funny, considering where they had started, that right now, Levy felt closest to the man who had hurt her most. But that was probably exactly why she feared him. She knew in her heart, he and only he, had the power to hurt her more profoundly, more deeply, than anyone else. Far worst, than what he had done to her the first time.

Whether he realized it or not, Levy had given Gazille her heart that day on the island when she gave him the iron script. He'd taken it, probably not knowing the full meaning at the time. Even she hadn't really realized it herself. But now Levy knew. She knew how she felt for him. Knew that it wasn't just a partnership. It wasn't just Nakama. She...

"I love you."

The words rang out, loud and clear. And then there was silence. Deafening silence that shook her to the very bone. It was almost as if time completely stopped. For a brief moment Levy inwardly chuckled, thinking that was happening a lot lately. And then her mind went back to the moment on the island when they joined hands. The warmth she felt from his hand had been incredibly immense. He'd always seemed like such a cold man, likely a result of his affinity for iron. It made him seem as cold as the metal he covered himself with. But the truth was, the only thing about Gazille that was anything like iron, was his will to fight, and to protect those that were dear to him. He wasn't cold like the metal at all. If anything, he burned with a passion that rivaled even Natsu's fire. Only, unlike the salmon-haired boy, Gazille was more reserved, more in control of himself than the fire-mage. And so it came as a complete and utter shock to the teal-haired girl that the three simple, yet oh so powerful words that had just been uttered, didn't come from her.

"I don't like repeating myself," Gazille's no-nonsense approach broke through the girl's thoughts and brought Levy back to the present moment. "I realized I liked you a while back," he continued, ignoring the fact that the petite girl had yet to respond to anything he'd said since his initial question. "And then after what happened on the island... when those two Grimoire Heart Mages showed up...And then at the end there..." he paused, turning over to face her. His piercing black eyes seemed to stare deep into Levy's soul as he pensively mulled over what he wanted to say next. "The thought of dying has never frightened me." He paused again. "I've faced dragons, and monsters, and unspeakable odds... and not once have I ever known fear..." Once more the steely eyed man paused to collect his thoughts, no doubt remembering the one time he had come close to fear, before Makarov and Fairy tail came to his rescue. "You're a scrawny, pint-sized, completely unintimidating-"

"Hey!" the girl finally spoke up, jumping to her feet and glaring down at him, wondering why Gazille was saying such mean things when he'd just confessed moments earlier.

Levy didn't have to wait long though, as the taller man stood to his feet, not looking quite as high as he normally did, given that he was still a few steps down from her. He returned her glare, but it wasn't nearly as menacing or intimidating as the bookish girl mistakenly believed he was trying to be. "But you, and these... feelings... terrify me more than anything I've ever known."

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><p><strong>THE END<strong>

A/N: oh I know it's not fair to end it right there, but tough! It's a one-shot, they're supposed to end on suspenseful climaxes! And OMG I made it through without clear spoilers! XP


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